LeagueNews.co | Robbie Hamilton
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens strongly criticized the decision to sin-bin Lewis Murphy during the Super League Magic Weekend match against Leeds, labeling it as "ridiculous" and "flabbergasting." This incident occurred at the 61-minute mark of the game, with St Helens down 10-4.
Murphy was penalized after contesting a high ball and colliding with Alfie Edgell.
Wellens expressed his bewilderment, stating, "I thought it was ridiculous, to be quite honest with you.
Lewis Murphy goes up and contests the ball.
He's got eyes for one thing and one thing only, and that's the ball." He compared this situation to a previous incident involving Jake Wingfield, who was knocked out during a Challenge Cup game but deemed an accident.
Wellens questioned the inconsistency in officiating, asking, "What's the difference between that and this here tonight?"
He emphasized the impact of the sin-bin decision on the game's momentum, noting, "It's quite flabbergasting, to be honest with you, because that was a big momentum shift in the game.
We were stronger, then they go down the other end and make it 11-4.
So, yeah, I thought it was a ridiculous call." St Helens ultimately suffered a defeat with a score of 17-4.